Bob Minsky: Difficult to determine where politicians really stand

Most people agree that voters should be informed before they vote for who should be our president. The question I ask is, where do they go for unbiased objective information?

I listen to the candidates when they make speeches, and I thought I am getting the words right from the source. They both speak English, my native tongue, so I feel I should be able to understand what they said and what they meant. But then the media goes to work and by time they get done explaining what the candidates said and what they really meant, I'm not so sure.

Then one side says the other side lied and the other side responds by saying the other side lied about their lies. They took it out of context, which means my meaning was distorted and what I said was not what I meant because you had to know what I said before or after that statement to understand the true meaning.

By now it is obvious to me that I can't rely on what the candidates say to decide what they mean, what the real problems are or what should be done about them. One thing is for sure; no candidate will intentionally say anything bad about himself or anything good about the opponent.

Since I no longer have faith in what either candidate says, I can't rely on the words out of their mouths to give me the information I need to make the best decision as to whom I vote for. Now what do I do?

When it comes to politics there are very few people who are completely unbiased and undecided. I can't help but wonder how do they finally decide whom to vote for. Listening to radio or watching the TV is like Pavlov training his dogs. Repetition is a conditioning process, the more you hear something the more prone you are to believe it.

It is a commonly accepted assumption that some networks and some media venues are biased to the point their reports are slanted the same way. In my opinion they have defaulted in their obligation to provide the news and have supplemented it with their opinions.

We are a country of approximately 370 million people. I am impressed when the media releases their latest poll results, until I learn these polls normally involve maybe a thousand people or less. Then one side or the other will release their poll results to refute the other one.

So far there is no absolutely undeniable source of information in politics. I think most people will vote according to the circumstances of their lives. People who are doing well will vote for the person who will protect their quality of life. And the people who are unhappy with their quality of life will vote for the person they believe will make the changes that will improve their lot.

One thing is for sure, politics is not a science, it's an art.

One question I believe more people should ponder is: Who is the real power in our government — the president or the Congress?

The answer lies in understanding how laws and money are controlled. The president cannot unilaterally enact laws or spend money. Almost everything must be passed by both houses of Congress before the president can sign it, including laws and the budget. The president can invoke a veto but if one house of Congress refuses to approve something, it dies.

No president can be effective if Congress prefers to place its priorities on its party instead of the American welfare.